Hospital Duty Uniform—Male

General guidelines

a. Enlisted and Army Nurse Corps personnel. When prescribed for wear, the hospital duty uniform is worn with the medical assistant’s smock worn over the white trousers. Officer personnel wear white oxford shoes and white socks with these uniforms. Wear of the white oxfords and white socks by enlisted personnel is optional. Enlisted personnel will otherwise wear black oxford shoes and black socks with this uniform. Personnel may wear the optional purchase, black windbreaker with the uniform, except in formation (para 27–30). The optional purchase, white unisex cardigan is authorized for wear as an outer garment while on duty. Soldiers may wear the white unisex cardigan buttoned or unbuttoned while indoors; when outdoors, they will wear the cardigan buttoned. Soldiers will wear the collar of the smock outside the sweater so rank is visible.
b. The black beret became the basic headgear for this uniform on 14 June 2001 (see para 3–5 for wear policy). When the cold-weather coat or other authorized cold-weather outer garments are worn, personnel may wear the olive- green scarf and the black leather shell gloves, but they are not required to do so. Soldiers may wear the black scarf and AG 489 cold-weather cap with the black all-weather coat. Depending upon the uniform fabric, starching and pressing may damage the uniform material, so soldiers must exercise caution in this matter.
c. Warrant officers and commissioned officers. Warrant or commissioned officers of the medical, dental, veterinary, medical service, or medical specialty corps may wear the physician’s white smock over either the service or utility uniforms, in a medical care facility, or on duty as directed by the commander of the medical facility.
d. Precautionary wear restrictions. Personnel should exercise caution because some of the materials used in these uniforms are inappropriate for use in areas where flammable gases are employed. Commanders will prohibit the wear of polyester hospital duty uniforms in flammable, anesthetizing locations and mixed facilities (as defined in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards), or in any area where easily ignitable substances are present, such as anesthetizing agents. This restriction does not apply to inhalation therapy areas where oxygen is administered, providing that easily ignitable substances such as ether, cyclopropane, alcohol, acetone, oils, greases, or lotions are not present. The presence of such flammable substances in oxygen-enriched atmospheres is prohibited by NFPA standards.
e. Figure 8–1 shows the hospital duty uniform for males.